Orono police seek comments for national accreditation process

ORONO, Maine — The Orono Police Department is applying for national accreditation under the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. and is inviting residents to provide comments on Sunday about the application, Capt. Josh Ewing announced Monday.

“Recognition or accreditation with CALEA is important because it shows we have met the commission’s best practices standards for a police agency,” he said. “The accreditation program requires agencies to comply with state-of-art standards in four basic areas — policy and procedures, administration, operations and support services.”

The police department is scheduled for an on-site assessment as part of its application, which also includes public input. Agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments during a telephone comments session from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Those interested in making public comments should call 866-5058 between the hours listed, or they can make online comments on the department’s website at police.orono.org/contact.

“This initial on-site assessment will be the end of a two-year self-assessment process that we have been in,” Ewing said. “If we achieve recognition status, we will have three years before the next assessment.”

The police departments in Lewiston and Auburn are the only ones in the state that are CALEA-certified. The Auburn Police Department, which has 57 officers, was initially accredited in November 2007 and was recertified in November 2010, according to the CALEA website. The Lewiston Police Department has 99 officers and first became accredited in November 1995.

“It’s just another way for our department to show our commitment to provide quality service to the town of Orono,” Ewing said.

Written comments about the Orono Police Department’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation can be sent to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Inc., 13575 Heathcote Boulevard Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155, faxed to 703-890-3126; or e-mailed to www@calea.org.